Crimson Tide Review of Leadership Roles free essay sample

A leader can express their power in various manners, in French and Raven’s (1959) Five Base Model of power, a characterization of power in leadership and management, defined in five bases and citied by Hinken and Schrieshiem, (Bass, 1990) as followed: * Expert power  is having the capability to administer to other individuals facts, knowledge based information, or expertise. * Referent power  is having the capability to administer to other individual’s feelings of personal acceptance or recognition. Reward power  is, having the capability to administer to another person’s desires or to remove or decrease things he/she does not desire. * Coercive power  is, having the capability to administer to individual’s things he/she does not desire or to remove or decrease things he/she does  desire. * Legitimate powers are, the ability to administer to another person’s feelings of obligation or responsibility. (pg. 232) This paper is an analysis of t he leadership roles and the influence of power that the leading characters in the movie Crimson Tide (Scott, 1995) possess. We will write a custom essay sample on Crimson Tide Review of Leadership Roles or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The leading actors and their characters are Gene Hackman (Captain Frank Ramsey), Denzel Washington (Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter), and George Dzunda (Chief of the Boat Cobb). In this movie analysis, we will analyze the leadership roles of each character and how they interact among each other and the other officers on the submarine, and the power that they have over them and each other. In addition in terms of leadership and compliance, we will discuss the role nuclear submarines play in present society, and what was the function it served in the film prior to the vital action, and after the vital action. The incident that took place on the nuclear submarine raised an issue involving Navel procedure that caused the board of the Navy distress. Discussion of the issue, the roots, and how it has run its course since then will be discussed. Movie Plot Captain Ramsey (Gene Hackman) was the Commander of the submarine, USS Alabama, equipped with missiles. Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington) replaced the Executive Officer from the Alabama due to an attack of appendicitis. The Alabama, was assigned to intercept the rebel Russian troops who captured nuclear missiles of the former Soviet Union. While on the mission, the USS Alabama receive a preliminary launch order, however, the EAM radio contact was lost prior to a confirmation or abort order was received. EAMs are messages sent digitally from the Pentagon in the event of nuclear war, the messages are picked up by the submarines with a special antenna. This lost radio contact brought about the most infamous scene in the movie. Do to the fact that the required confirmation was incomplete, Captain Ramsey pushed forward and ordered for the launch of the missiles. For the ordered to be fully completed, the launch must be â€Å"concurred† with, and repeated by the Commander, and Executive Officer of the Boat. This was Hunter’s first position in the field and once again new to the Alabama. The entire crew was loyal to Ramsey who has been in command of the Alabama for numerous victorious missions. â€Å"When a new person comes into an organization or the work group, various means are used to teach the new person  how we do things around here† (Schein, 1999). Ramsey used his transitional leadership methods to try and enforce his point of view of what should be correct. Now Hunter could have easily said, â€Å"I concur†, and went ahead with the missile launch. However, Hunter did not, he fostered the use of proper military protocol and maintained that the launch be delayed till the EAM radio transmission could be confirmed and fully received from Washington. This is where leadership roles and power come into play, and how Ramsey, Hunter, and Cobb the Chief of the boat became part of the most infamous scene in the movie. When Hunter refused to â€Å"concur† the orders and stated his opinion, he sited Navy procedure, telling Captain Ramsey that based on operating procedures when releasing nuclear weapons they cannot launch missiles unless both agree. Ramsey then states, â€Å"As commanding officer of the U. S. S Alabama I order you to place the XO under arrest under the charge of mutiny† (Wikiquote, 2013). Hunter then yelling louder than Ramsey states, â€Å"Backed by the rules of precedents authority and command, regulation 08150H6 of Navy regulations, I relieve you of command, Captain† (Wikiquote, 2013). This Texan standoff had all the officers in an uncomfortable situation, do they on the Captain’s side and remain loyal, or do they ally themselves with Lieutenant Commander Hunter. Chief of the boat Cobb was put in a precarious position, which left him no other choice than side with Hunter, but, not for the reasons you might think, we will discuss that further later. Captain Frank Ramsey The concept of power is an applicable leadership concept. Leaders use power to decipher whether they have the ability to acquire the commitment or obedience from their workers/officers. Leaders that are educated or trained under the old-paradigm, have low levels of expectations of others around them, and tend to use power to dominate and control. Leaders that are educated or trained under the new-paradigm are human-relations leaders; these leaders have a high level of employee expectations; with the use of power leaders are encouraging, engaging, and inspiring for the followers/officers (Vecchio, 1988). Gene Hackman (Captain Frank Ramsey) is a character that used coercive power to force the officers into doing what he wants them to do. Ramsey was educated under the old-paradigm, he uses power to dominate and control the individuals around him. Ramsey, who threatens his minions’ job security by using his coercive power; coercive power is a power that is a characteristic of transactional leadership behavior that fosters compliance in lieu of commitment from the officers. Ramsey has power, but how he used that power is a decision that his character chooses to make. Hackman’s role chose to be a dominate force and control by amplifying his legitimate power. Ramsey follows transactional leadership, expecting structure and subordinates from his officers. Ramsey’s role as a transactional leader is to retain authority, dictate the manner in which task should be performed, he makes decisions without input from others, and he discourages input from other officers; Ramsey is an autocratic leader (McGregor, 1960). Transactional leadership, emphasizes the role of supervision and works within a group or organization. Under this form of leadership followers perform the best when the chain of command is definite and clear, Ramsey is known by his crew as a stern commander to say t nicely. Ramsey is a leader, a leader who expects when an order is given that it is followed, his officers and commanders should be obeying the orders given and follow in line. This was not the case when it came to Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter. Hersey and Blanchard (1979) stood by the fact that there were a wide variety of leadership styles. Where Ramsey was a lea der that could be characterized as a rigid leader, Hunter was a leader who concentrated on building a strong foundation among the crew. Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter Denzel Washington (Lieutenant Ron Hunter) demonstrates referent power demonstrating ethically, morally, and sensibility towards the officers. Hunter displayed desirable characteristics; he displayed integrity and treated the officers with respect. Hunter does have a component of coercive power because he removed the Captain from his position and had him locked into his quarters, however Denzel Washington’s character is based on honor. Hunter displays referent power; referent power being a component of transformational leadership that fosters commitment from the officers. Transformational leaders focus on the follower/employees/team members, making the point to motivate them to excel and achieve their goals, and in the process help them mature as individuals. In the transformational leadership model, the leader provides â€Å"influences (charisma), inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration† (Avolio amp; Yammarion, 2002). Transformational leadership gives the leader the opportunity to step-up and become a role model for their followers/employees/team members. In addition, they have the capability to encourage and inspire their followers/employees/team members. One characteristic that is pertinent to possess when becoming an effective leader is genuine concern for the feelings of others, a leader must be considerate and care how their follower/employees/team members are doing. Hunter is a transformational leader that has a high level of performance and the other officers are satisfied by the manner in which Hunter is leading the submarine. The transformational leadership theory in addition theorizes, â€Å"how leaders exert motivational effects through linking follower’s self-concepts† (Avolio amp; Yammarion, 2002) to promote the title of the transformational leader. Transformational leaders have positive expectations for their team members/follower, so they lead their team with the mindset that they will succeed; there is no room for failure. Transformational leaders empower, inspire, and motivate their follower/team member/employees to excel above the average level of performance. At one point in the movie Hunter was discussing with a Petty Officer Third Class Russell Vossler (Lillo Brancato Jr. ), a EAM radio controller, on how he was going to fix the damaged controller. Hunter kept an open dialog with Vossler making the association of Star Trek and the need of warp speed. Hunter possesses the aspects of a transformational leader. Chief of the Boat Cobb Chief of the boat Cobb (George Dzundza) was put in a difficult position when Captain Ramsey and Lieutenant Commander Hunter were in the process of trying to remove each other from their positions. When Cobb spoke up and stated that the Captain could not fire the missiles with out Lieutenant Hunter concurring with the order. The Captain was surprised with Cobb’s admittance, and then was removed from his post. Hunter then went over to Cobb and said thank you for backing him up. Cobb then told Hunter the only reason that he did was because the Captain did not have the right to replace him to fire the missiles. Cobb has respect for legitimate power; he has respect for authority and not on relationships that are formed on a more personal level. Much like Hunter, Cobb has respect for Naval procedures, but he has been with Captain Ramsey on numerous missions, and he respects him as a leader. Cobb is a task-oriented leader, he structures the work tasks and roles making sure to clarify the work processes and procedures and ensures that the officers comply with policies (Denison, Hooijberg, amp; Quinn, 1995). Role of Navel Nuclear Submarine The navy nuclear submarine fleet is power-driven by nuclear energy and signifies contemporary, proficient and operational weapons in the military arsenal. The difference between a nuclear submarine and a conventional submarine lies in the area of the driving force and several maintenance functions. The submarines are driven and controlled for the most part, the same as a conventional submarine. A nuclear submarine has the ability to operate unobtrusively, expeditiously, self-sufficiently, and for a prolonged length of time, and at a depth of 1500 feet (The National Museum of American History, 2000). The weapons systems both include torpedoes; however, the nuclear submarines have nuclear capabilities. The electronic systems for communications and discovery and defense are all modern. The contemporary nuclear submarines are technologically advanced compared to the old submarines (Answers, 2013). â€Å"Determining the cost of advanced military technological systems, a 1998 study estimated that the United States spent $2 trillion dollars in 1996 on all strategic nuclear forces throughout the Cold War† (The National Museum of American History, 2000). In the movie Crimson Tide, (1995) the nuclear submarine the U. S. S Alabama is sent to the Pacific Ocean because a radical leader and his followers are trying to takeover the Russian government and is intimidating Russia and the United States with a threat of firing nuclear missiles. The Alabama is sent to troll the waters so that if the Russian missiles are launched the United States and counter-attack instantly. A practice drill is carried out, Captain Ramsey is not happy with the results and asks Lieutenant Commander Hunter to have the crew to keep practicing the drills. Then the Alabama gets an order to fire missiles, however, in the middle of receiving its orders the submarine in damaged and was unable to get the full message. In the process of waiting for the confirmation of the orders Hunter ends up taking part in rebellion and defiance and is countered by mutiny. Like stated before, having the crew split-up and taking sides in an awkward situation, goes against everything they were trained to do. Training involves harmony in something as momentous as launching missiles. As of current date there had not been mutiny on a United States warship. US Navy Board of Inquiry After the standoff on the Alabama Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter and Captain Ramsey were called in front of a review board. The panel was convened so that the Navy could investigate the events that happened subsequent to the conditions for strategic missile launch, the panel was headed by Admiral Anderson (Tommy Bush). Testimony was taken from the officers aboard the Alabama, as well as Captain Ramsey, and Anderson made his recommendations to SUBPAC (Pacific Submarine force) without Lieutenant Commander Hunter’s testimony. The main concern of the panel was the fact that the system the Navy put into place had failed due to the fact that two senior officers could not work together and handle their differences while preserving the chain of command. It was Anderson that said it best, â€Å"A mutiny aboard a United States nuclear submarine, violation of nuclear launch protocol. This is the dilemma that will occupy this panel, this Navy, and this country’s armed forces as a whole long after you leave this room†.